‘Family Guy’ Creator Seth MacFarlane on Being Banned by Fox

Seth MacFarlane thinks it's a safe bet that one of the upcoming "American Dad" episodes will be banned by Fox, but he doesn't mind being censored by network brass.

MacFarlane is the creator "American Dad" and Fox's other hit cartoon comedy, "Family Guy." Multiple "Family Guy" episodes have been banned by the network only to be subsequently released on DVD.

At the annual TCA summer press tour Monday, MacFarlane said the "American Dad" crew has already finished about a year-and-a-half worth of new episodes. MacFarlane said he expects "at least one" of these upcoming episodes will be banned by his home network.

MacFarlane said he couldn't think of a specific episode of the show that might be too hot to air, because the next season of the show will include a variety of potentially controversial jokes. For example, reporters at TCA saw a preview of "American Dad's" upcoming Christmas special, which ends with a young boy mowing down Santa's elves with a machine gun.

MacFarlane said he doesn't mind it when the network pulls rank like that; in fact, he thinks the ensuing publicity is beneficial to the series.

"It's a structure that's been good for 'Family Guy," MacFarlane said.

Not that he's doing it on purpose; not even with the abortion episode.

"It looks like a sales ploy, but it isn't … that episode really was unacceptable to the network," MacFarlane said.